


Vessel of Darkness

by evilturkey5



Category: King's Raid (Video Game), Persona 4
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:02:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25387225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evilturkey5/pseuds/evilturkey5
Summary: The brother of the head of a large weapon company appears on the Midnight Channel, but the Investigation Team soon finds that rescuing him may be more difficult than they anticipate.
Comments: 13
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

While walking to school, Yu noticed that the streets were much more lively than usual. Large crowds gathered and he heard loud whispers. Though he found this odd, he ignored it and continued his journey to school. 

Things were no different at school. Students seemed to be gathering and talking more than usual. When he walked into his classroom, he immediately walked over to his friends to ask if they knew anything about what was going on. 

"What's with all the commotion this morning?" he asked them. 

"Dude, didn't you hear? The head of the Aegina Company is coming to Inaba!" Yosuke said. The Aegina Company was a famous weapons company from Egypt. Though it was odd that he was coming to Inaba, Yu didn't see the need for the excitement, especially among students. 

"And we care about this...why?" Yu asked. 

"He's _famous_! And he's coming here all the way from Egypt! I also hear he has a kid our age. You think it's a girl?" Yosuke said. Yu shrugged. 

"I guess it's kind of cool, but I still don't see the big deal," he said as he sat down. 

"I think most of the talk is about his supposed kid. The guys are hoping it'll be a cute girl, and the girls are hoping it'll be a handsome guy," Chie said. 

"That makes sense," Yu commented. 

"And some people are hoping to get on their good side to since their dad's rich," Yosuke added. Chie nodded. 

"I wonder if they will be able to help us in the TV World," Yukiko mused. 

"Oh yeah! We can get our weapons from there instead of Daidara Metalworks!" Yosuke exclaimed. 

"It'd probably less convenient and more of a challenge to convince them to sell us weapons, but I bet they'd be stronger," Yu said. 

"Oh, that reminds me. I heard it's supposed to rain tonight. We should probably check out the Midnight Channel tonight," Chie pointed out. Everyone nodded. 

They continued to chat until they heard Mr. Morooka's grumblings and decided it would be best to remain quiet. 

* * *

As Yu was walking home after soccer club, he bumped into a short girl. 

"Hey, watch where you're going!" she snapped with a pouting face. 

"Sorry, I didn't see you there," Yu apologized. He eyed her closely. _I haven't seen her around here before_ , he thought. She looked to be an elementary schooler and had light blue hair that went down to her waist. 

"Don't mind her. She's just a brat," said an equally grumpy voice. Yu looked around but didn't see anyone until a short boy with messy black hair walked out from behind a corner. This seemed to anger the girl even more, though her anger was no longer directed at Yu. 

"Shut up! No one asked you, knucklehead!" The girl stuck her tongue out, enraging the boy, who did the same.

"You brat! Shut up!" They looked about ready to throw punches at each other before a look of realization crossed the boy's face. 

"Hey, do you think he could help us?" the boy said, pointing to Yu. 

"Hey, I got that idea first!" said the girl. 

"No, I did! You were too busy arguing!" _Not again_ , Yu thought. 

"You knucklehead! I thought of it first, but I couldn't say it because you said it first!" Yu decided he couldn't take much more of their arguing. 

"What do you need?" he asked, trying his best to act friendly despite how annoying they were. 

"Where is Junes?" asked the boy. The girl glared at him but (to Yu's relief) didn't say anything. 

"From here, take three lefts and then a right. It'll be the huge building," Yu answered. 

"Thank you!" the two said in unison before glaring at each other. Yu quickly walked away in order to avoid hearing them bicker even more. He felt sorry for the people at Junes who would have to listen to them. As he kept walking, he started to feel raindrops. _Great, I didn't bring my umbrella_ , he grumbled internally. He sped up, hoping to get home before it started raining much harder. Luckily, he was close, and he managed to slip in the door right as it started raining hard. 

"Welcome home, big brother," Nanako greeted. 

"Hi, Nanako," Yu replied with a smile. Nanako was watching TV as usual. As Yu sat down next to her, the news came on. 

"And now, a special interview with the brothers who came all the way from Egypt to expand their company!" Two dark-skinned men appeared on screen, one with short, light hair spiked on every direction and the other with long, neat, black hair. 

"Hello. I am Cain King, and this is my brother Shakmeh," said the lighter-haired man with a confident smile. The longer-haired man smiled. 

"Now, do you mind telling us why you came here to Inaba?" asked the reporter. 

"Not at all. You see, we were looking to expand our business overseas, so we came here to Japan. As for why we came to Inaba specifically, the kids grew up in a small town, so I didn't want to suddenly move them to the city, and this ended up being the place I chose," Cain replied. 

"Kids? As in you have more than one?"

"I only have one son, but my secretary," his gaze softened noticeably, "has two younger siblings who came with her."

"I see. How long will you be staying here?" 

"I'm planning to stay for at least a year, but plans may change."

"This is a question for you, Shakmeh. What's it like being the brother of the head of the Aegina Company?" Yu could have sworn he saw Shakmeh wince slightly. 

"It's... it's pretty cool having someone that cool as an older brother," Shakmeh said. 

"You seem to really look up to him. I bet he has you do a bunch of stuff for him, right?" the reporter said with a chuckle. 

"...yeah," Shakmeh replied. Yu started to become suspicious of Shakmeh's odd reactions whenever his brother was mentioned. What was going on between the two of them?

The interview soon ended, and Yu decided to head up to his room to read a bit before watching the Midnight Channel. 

Eventually, midnight came, and Yu, after checking that it was still raining, turned his attention to the TV. As usual, static appeared on the screen, followed by a silhouette. The person had long hair, but Yu couldn't make out much more.

As usual, he got a call from Yosuke. 

"Did you see that?!" Yosuke asked frantically. 

"Yeah."

"Who do you think it was?"

"I couldn't tell. The image wasn't clear enough, but I could make out long hair," Yu said. 

"Same here. We'll discuss this tomorrow," Yosuke said before hanging up. 

For some reason, Yu had a bad feeling. Everything would turn out fine, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've really wanted to write a King's Raid fanfiction, but I never had any ideas until now. I'm a bit bummed this story has no room for Crow or Mitra, as they're my favorites. Oh well. I'll find a way to sneak in a reference to at least one of them. 
> 
> Anyway, I have a few ramblings to put here, so bear with me. None of them are particularly important; they're just extra thoughts I have. 
> 
> -This story takes place between Rise's dungeon and Kubo's dungeon. I thought it over quite a bit and finally decided that this time would make the most sense (of course assuming Kubo's dungeon is pushed back the necessary amount of time). 
> 
> -Zafir will be Cain's son in this story. I know this isn't canonically accurate, but it works best for what I have planned.
> 
> -This story was originally intended to be a one-shot and was inspired by me making a joke about Zafir facing his shadow, but I decided that I could not write what I was hoping to without making a story that either wouldn't work well as a one-shot or would be too long to be a one-shot.
> 
> -I feel like made Neraxis and Lilia a bit OOC, even after going back into the game and observing their arguments with each other. Oh well.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention this before, but please feel free to give constructive criticism! It may just be me being too harsh on myself, but I often feel that the way I write sounds awkward or unnatural, so I'd appreciate any feedback!
> 
> Also, I'm not too happy with the title of the story, so it may change in the future.

"Listen up, brats. We have a new student, so shut your mouths so he can introduce himself," Mr. Morooka said, grumpy as always. A tall boy with dark skin and long, dark hair walked in. 

"Hello. I am Zafir King. It's a pleasure to meet you all," he said with a smile. 

"Yeah, yeah, just shut up and get to your seat." Mr. Morooka pointed to an empty desk at the back of the class. 

"I apologize for wasting your time," Zafir said. He heard whispers all around the room as he walked towards his seat. 

" _This is him?_ "

" _He's so handsome!_ "

" _Whoa, his hair's so long!_ "

_"Look at his eyes!"_

Zafir sat down in a seat a bit behind Yu, looking around awkwardly. 

"Alright, shut up and listen, you worthless brats," Mr. Morooka said before starting his lesson. 

* * *

"So, what do you think?" Yosuke said, leaning back in his chair. Apparently no one had any more ideas who it could've been, since he was only met with silence. Suddenly, Rise spoke up. 

"It could've been just me, but it looked like they were wearing some sort of dress or gown."

"Good eye, Rise! So long hair plus a dress means they're probably a girl," said Chie. 

"But that doesn't really narrow it down," Yu said, his hand resting on his chin thoughtfully. 

"Right. I hate to say it, but we're probably gonna have to wait and see if we can learn anything else," Yosuke said. Everyone nodded in agreement. 

"It's supposed to rain tonight, so we can check the Midnight Channel again. At least for Kanji we got a clearer image the second time," Yukiko added. 

"Good idea. So now all we can do is hope we can find out who it'll be," Yu said before standing up. Everyone nodded and followed suit. Before they could leave, however, a very large, loud crowd caught their attention. In the center of the crowd was a tall, long-haired man. 

"Hey, ain't that the guy from the news last night? I think his name was Shakmeh or somethin'," Kanji said. 

"Yeah, that's him all right," Yosuke responded, eyes glued to the large crowd.

Upon looking closer, Yu saw, much to his dismay, the kids he'd met the day before among the crowd. They seemed to be accompanying Shakmeh, as the girl was tugging on his hand, seemingly trying to drag him along with her. The boy looked annoyed and let his gaze wander. Eventually, he noticed Yu and ran towards him. 

"Are you the guy who helped us yesterday?" he asked. Yu nodded. 

"Er, thanks, I guess. Would you mind helping me again? Mr. Shakmeh got surrounded while we were shopping and that brat's doing an awful job dragging him away," said the boy awkwardly. 

"Do you know him?" Rise asked Yu. 

"He and his sister asked me for directions to Junes yesterday. I'm not sure why they're here again today," Yu replied. 

" _I_ asked for directions. That brat was too busy whining to ask. And as for why we're here again, yesterday we were just staking out the place. I guess Laias wanted us out of her hair, so she sent us to find where Junes was so we could go shopping today," the boy corrected stubbornly.

"She probably just wanted _you_ out of her hair, knucklehead!" the girl exclaimed.

"I see. I'm not sure how, but we'll try to find a way to help you," Chie offered before the boy could continue arguing with the girl. 

"Good. Come with me and you can help push the crowd out of the way."

"Er, is that what you wanted us to do? I just assumed we'd be coming up with another solution to the whole crowd problem," Rise said. A look of annoyance flashed across the boy's face. 

"What else would you expect me to make you do? Now come on!" He grabbed Yu's wrist and ran over to the crowd, nearly causing Yu to trip and fall on his face. Yu gave his friends a desperate look, and they ran after him. 

Though the boy had brought Yu along to help push the crowd away, he did a pretty good job of it himself. He had already cleared about a fourth of the crowd by the time the rest of the group caught up with him. 

"Looks like you didn't need our help after all," Yosuke commented after the girl successfully dragged Shakmeh out of the crowd. Shakmeh then spoke up. 

"Ah, thanks for the help, guys," he said with a gentle smile as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

"Oh, we didn't really do anything! It was all these two!" Chie gestured to the boy and girl. 

"Well thank you anyway." He turned to the boy and girl. "Have you introduced yourselves?" They both shook their heads, and he gave them a small nudge. It was then that Yu noticed that the boy was wearing a middle school uniform, though he didn't take much note of it. 

"I'm—" they both said at the same time before glaring at each other. However, before they could start fighting again, Shakmeh pinched their ears. 

"No fighting! Neraxis, you go first," Shakmeh said sternly. 

"Well, as you heard him say, I'm Neraxis," the boy said, crossing his arms. 

"And I'm Lilia," the girl said proudly as she put her hands on her hips. 

"Aww, you two are so cute!" Rise gushed. Both Neraxis and Lilia blushed. 

"Well, if you say so..." Lilia was trying to hide her huge grin. 

"I'm not cute!" Neraxis insisted, turning his head away. 

"I'm sorry about these two. They can be quite a handful," Shakmeh said with a chuckle. 

"Nah, it's fine. Some of us can be quite a handful as well," Yu said, mainly looking at Yosuke and Teddie. 

"Well, we'd better get going if we want to get home in time for Laias to make dinner. I hope to see you around!" Shakmeh said with a smile as he took Neraxis and Lilia by the hand and walked away. 

As the two groups parted ways, Yu felt something nagging at his mind. 

_Wasn't he wearing a gown just now?_

* * *

Yu sat on the couch in his room, thinking about his encounter with Shakmeh as he waited for midnight to come. Sighing, he glanced at the clock one last time before the TV flickered on. This time, the image was more clear. The figure's face was clearly that of a man, and he was nervously rubbing his head and smiling. Before Yu could even start to think about who it could be, he got a call from Yosuke. 

"Hey, hey! Are you seeing this?!" Yosuke's voice was frantic. 

"Yeah," Yu replied casually, still staring at the screen. 

"Any ideas who it could be?" Yu thought carefully for a moment before taking a deep breath and speaking. 

"I think it's the guy we met at Junes earlier. Shakmeh." There was a short silence which Yu assumed was the result of Yosuke looking closer at the screen to confirm. 

"Yeah, I think you're right," Yosuke finally said, "We'll meet tomorrow and try to find the guy to warn him."

"Alright," Yu said before hanging up. Something about the situation still made him feel uneasy. He hoped it was nothing and that everything would turn out fine, but a part of him didn't believe that would be the case. 

* * *

After meeting Kanji and Rise at the gate, Yu, Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko headed towards town. 

"Where do we start? We have no idea where to find him," Chie asked. After a few moments of silence, a realization hit Yu. 

"Isn't the new kid his nephew? Let's go ask him," he said, running back in the school. The others followed, each heading in different directions.

"Have you seen Zafir?" Rise asked a student in the hallway. 

"No. If you need him, just look for a large crowd and you're sure to find him," the student replied. 

"Thank you!" Rise replied with a wink. The student blushed and looked away. 

"N-no problem! I-I'm a huge fan!" he called out as Rise headed upstairs. 

Yu walked into his classroom, hoping Zafir had been held up while trying to leave. Sure enough, his desk was completely surrounded by chattering students. Yu walked closer, trying to push the students out of the way. 

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" he asked, hoping Zafir had heard him through the loud group of students. Luckily, it seemed that he had, as he looked up at Yu and nodded. He stood up and gently pushed through surprised students. 

"I need to talk to him alone, so please don't follow me," Zafir said before following Yu to the roof. 

"What did you need to talk about?" Zafir was clearly nervous, and Yu sympathized with that. To him, Yu probably looked like another annoying student trying to get close to him in order to reap the benefits of his wealth. 

"I think your uncle may be in danger," Yu said. Zafir looked at him in shock. 

"What makes you say that?"

"I can't say. It's just a feeling. But what I can say is that there's been a serial killer in this town, and I need to see him to warn him about it." It was partially the truth. There _was_ a serial killer on the loose, and that _was_ part of the reason they wanted to warn him. Zafir looked away. 

"I...don't really feel comfortable bringing people to my house. Otherwise I'd have people at my doorstep all the time. I'm sure you understand," Zafir explained. Yu nodded. "I'm sorry, but I can't take you to meet him. I'll let him know about the killer, though." Yu sighed in disappointment. 

"I'm sorry, but it's _really_ important that we let him know what's going on. So please—" Zafir interrupted unexpectedly.

"Like I said, I'll let him know," he said sternly. Yu sighed again.

"I understand," he said, walking away. Could he really trust Zafir to warn Shakmeh about the killer? Yu doubted that he would purposely withhold something that important, but there was always a chance that Zafir wouldn't get the chance to warn him in time due to being swarmed by people both at school and on his way home. While exiting the roof, he saw Rise and walked up to her. 

"Any luck, senpai?" Yu shook his head. 

"Let's get the others and let's meet up at the gate again. I'll tell you guys how it went." Rise nodded and went to get their teammates. 

* * *

"I was able to talk to Zafir, but he refuses to take us to see Shakmeh. He says he'll warn him about the killer, but I'm worried he won't be able to with all the people who keep bothering him. So I have another plan. Rise, Chie, Yukiko, you three head to the elementary school. Yosuke, Kanji, and I will head to the middle school," Yu said. 

"Why?" Chie said in confusion. 

"The kids who were with him yesterday, I noticed they were in elementary and middle school. If we can meet them, we can have them take us to Shakmeh. Or if that fails, we'll just follow the crowds," Yu explained. "Let's hurry." Yu started running in the direction of the middle school. 

"H-hey, wait up!" Yosuke called, running after Yu, soon followed by Kanji. 

* * *

Yu finally arrived at the school, panting heavily. After catching his breath, Yu decided to ask someone. 

"Have you seen Neraxis?" he asked a passing student. 

"Huh? You mean that chuunibyou kid?" As if on cue, Yu heard a cackle from nearby. 

"I'm the legendary black dragon! If you anger me, I shall unleash my powers and kill you!" Yu whirled around and immediately saw Neraxis, walking with a few overwhelmed students, with a huge grin on his face. When Neraxis met his gaze, he jumped. 

"Huh? What are _you_ doing here?" he said grumpily. 

"I need to ask you something. Think of it as returning the favor."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep forgetting about Teddie(⁄ ⁄•⁄-⁄•⁄ ⁄)


End file.
